Humiliation really does concentrate the political mind, doesn’t it? Over the years when the SNP dominated the Scottish parliamentary chamber, ministers spent little time reaching across party lines. Indeed, by the time Nicola Sturgeon was first minister in 2014, for every SNP MSP missing the point in Holyrood, there was another pointing and jeering at anyone who disagreed with them.
In July, the SNP lost 39 of its 48 Westminster seats. Suddenly, cooperation and collaboration became the order of the day.
Opposition politicians smell SNP blood
First Minister John Swinney was the very model of the reasonable man as he announced the SNP’s ‘Programme for Government’ on Wednesday afternoon.
To be fair to Swinney, he is not the instinctive combatant that Nicola Sturgeon was. Even in the most divisive days, Swinney has maintained respectful relationships with his opponents. But after an ugly few years in Scottish politics, his ‘let’s work together’ approach is unlikely to bear fruit.
Opposition politicians smell SNP blood. The chances of them offering Swinney a lifeline as he tries to grind through to the 2026 election are negligible.
The First Minister’s statement committed his government to ‘eradicating child poverty, building prosperity, improving public services and protecting the planet.’
A plan was announced to expand ‘fairer future partnerships’ to ‘ensure services work to help families by maximising their incomes, supporting parents back into work and improving their wellbeing.’
If that meaningless tosh doesn’t grab you, how about a commitment to ensure ‘the NHS has the resources it needs’ or a commitment to make Scotland ‘more attractive for investment’.
Thinner gruel has rarely been supped.
Swinney told MSPs that: ‘This Programme for Government will ensure that the people of Scotland have every opportunity to live well, thrive, and see promise in their future… This year’s commitments are affordable, impactful and deliverable. Together, they reflect my optimism that out of every challenge, we gain an invaluable opportunity to adjust our course, to interrogate our priorities and to renew our partnerships.’
Swinney’s offer to reach across the barriers has not been warmly welcomed.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: ‘Scotland needed a Programme for Government that recognised the scale of the challenges facing our country – stagnating growth, record long NHS waiting lists, falling education standards, rising levels of drug deaths, and a housing emergency. Instead we have an SNP government with no vision, no strategy and no plan.’
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said the First Minister’s statement was ‘full of warm words but woefully short on firm commitments’ to tackle the issues facing the country.
On Tuesday, Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison announced £500 million of spending cuts, blaming a new era of ‘Westminster austerity’. That sort of thing used to have unionist politicians running scared. Now they just smirk. They know the SNP’s spin has caught up with it. Scots did not all but eviscerate the party at the last election because they think the nationalists have done a great job in power. They know where the fault lies.
The First Minister’s first spell as SNP leader ended after a terrible result for the party in the 2004 European elections. That time, he fought like a tiger for his party. John Swinney’s second period at the helm will end after a terrible result in the 2026 Holyrood elections. And by the sound of things, he has neither the ideas nor the energy to see off that inevitability.
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